If you need one particular password off an aging Windows 10 PC before it is reset, replaced or upgraded, first check whether Windows can show it at all. Website logins saved in Edge, Chrome or Firefox can be viewed in that browser’s password manager. Credential Manager holds some app and network passwords, and Windows can reveal saved Wi-Fi keys. Your Windows or Microsoft account password can never be viewed, only reset. Start with the browser, then export what you need.
What Windows will show you, and what it never will
| The password you need | Where it is kept | Can you view it? |
|---|---|---|
| A website login you saved in Edge | Microsoft Password Manager in Edge | Yes, after your device PIN or password |
| A website login you saved in Chrome | Google Password Manager in Chrome | Yes |
| A website login you saved in Firefox | Firefox’s Passwords page (about:logins) | Yes, after your Windows password |
| Network shares, remote desktop and some app logins | Credential Manager | Often, but not for every entry |
| Wi-Fi networks the PC has joined | The network’s saved profile | Yes, usually with administrator rights |
| Your Windows sign-in or Microsoft account password | Not stored in a viewable form | No, only reset |
If you do not know which browser saved a login, check each one you have used; a site can be saved in more than one. For a general tour of all three places, see how to find passwords used on your Windows 10 computer. This page concentrates on browser-saved website passwords and getting them off the PC safely.
Website passwords in Edge, Chrome and Firefox
Each browser keeps its own list, and none of them shares it with the others or with Windows.
| Browser | Where the list is | Reveal a password | Export |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Edge | Settings > Passwords and autofill > Microsoft Password Manager | Eye icon, then device PIN or password | Export passwords (CSV) |
| Google Chrome | More > Passwords and autofill > Google Password Manager | Show password icon on the entry | Settings > Export passwords > Download file |
| Firefox | Menu > Passwords (about:logins) | Show or Copy, then Windows password | Export logins (CSV) |
Microsoft Edge
- Select the three dots in the top right corner, then Settings.
- Select Passwords and autofill, then Microsoft Password Manager.
- Find the site, select the arrow beside it, then select the eye icon. Enter your device PIN or password if Edge asks.
Microsoft’s Microsoft Password Manager page notes that the password manager needs an Edge profile signed in with a personal Microsoft account. On a work or school profile, your organization may restrict it, and the list may be empty or locked.
Passkeys are not shown in this list; on Windows 11 they are managed in Settings > Accounts > Passkeys.
Google Chrome
- Select More (three dots) > Passwords and autofill > Google Password Manager.
- Select the site in the list.
- Select Show password (the eye icon). If Windows Hello is turned on for Chrome, confirm with your PIN, fingerprint or face.
If Chrome was syncing to a Google Account, the same list is at passwords.google.com, which helps when the PC will not start the browser. More detail is in how to view your saved passwords in Google Chrome, and Google’s own steps are on the Chrome password help page.
Firefox
- Click the menu button and choose Passwords. The about:logins page opens.
- Type part of the site’s name in Search Passwords and select the entry.
- Show or Copy the password. On Windows, Firefox asks for your computer password first.
If a Primary Password was set in Firefox, you need that too. Mozilla’s Firefox password manager article covers the Edit and Remove buttons on the same page, and how to view saved passwords in Firefox has more on that browser.
When the PIN or password prompt will not accept you
The prompt is Windows checking that the person at the keyboard owns the account. It wants whatever you use to sign in to this Windows account, which trips people up on older PCs:
- Signed in with a PIN: enter the PIN, not a Microsoft account password. If you have forgotten the PIN, reset it from the Windows sign-in options before you try again.
- Signed in with a Microsoft account: if the prompt asks for a password, it is the Microsoft account password, which can be reset online through Microsoft’s account recovery if you do not know it.
- Signed in with a local account: use that account’s own password. If it has none, some prompts cannot be completed, so set a password first.
- Someone else’s account: you can only view passwords saved under the account you are signed in to. There is no workaround from another account.
Credential Manager entries, and why the list is often empty
Credential Manager stores logins Windows itself uses: network shares, remote desktop connections and some apps. Modern browsers do not put website passwords there, so a short or empty list is normal.
- In the taskbar search box, type credential manager and select Credential Manager Control panel.
- Choose Web Credentials or Windows Credentials.
- Expand an entry with the arrow beside it.
- Where a Show link appears next to the password, select it and confirm with your Windows password or PIN.
Some entries, often under Windows Credentials, can be edited or removed but not revealed, and app sign-ins such as mail accounts are frequently stored as tokens rather than readable passwords. Microsoft’s Credential Manager page confirms you can view and delete saved credentials for websites, apps and networks. To remove stale entries later, see how to clear cached credentials in Windows 10.
Wi-Fi keys in brief
For the network you are connected to, the key is shown in the network’s wireless properties. For networks the PC joined in the past, the command netsh wlan show profiles lists every saved profile, and an administrator Command Prompt can show each key in plain text. Full steps are in how to find the Wi-Fi password on Windows 10. Once the household is on Windows 11, guests can join without anyone reading the key aloud: share the Wi-Fi password with a QR code in Windows 11.
Export your passwords before a reset or a new PC
If the browser syncs to an account, signing in to the same browser on the new PC brings the passwords back and you may not need an export. If it does not sync, or you are switching browsers, export before you wipe the old machine.
- Edge: on the passwords page, open the three-dot menu, select Export passwords, then Export to confirm, as described on Microsoft’s Edge export page. Export works in desktop Edge only.
- Chrome: in Google Password Manager, select Settings on the left, then Download file next to Export passwords.
- Firefox: on about:logins, open the menu and choose Export logins, which saves a .csv file.
The export is a plain text spreadsheet with every username and password unencrypted. Save it to a USB drive rather than a shared or synced folder, import it into the new browser or password manager straight away, then delete the file and empty the Recycle Bin. Credential Manager entries and Wi-Fi keys are not part of any browser export, so note the few you need separately.
Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025, and only PCs enrolled in consumer Extended Security Updates get fixes, through October 12, 2027, according to Microsoft’s Windows 10 end of support page. That is a good reason to get your passwords out now rather than when the PC fails.
After you have the password
- Copy and paste it where it is needed instead of taking a screenshot, which can end up in a photo library or cloud backup.
- Delete entries you no longer use, so a future reset leaves less behind.
- Lock the PC with Windows + L when you step away; anyone who knows your PIN can open these lists.
- For important accounts, turn on two-step verification so a leaked password alone is not enough.
Saved password questions
Do I need to be an administrator to view saved passwords?
Not for browser passwords: you only need to be signed in to the Windows account that saved them. Administrator rights matter for Wi-Fi keys, because Microsoft’s netsh wlan reference shows the key in plain text only to a local administrator.
Will editing a saved password in Edge change it on the website?
No. Editing in the password manager only changes the copy Edge stores. Change the password on the website first, then update or let the browser save the new one.
What happens to my saved passwords when I move to Windows 11?
An in-place upgrade on the same PC normally keeps your user profile, including browser data. On a new PC, browser passwords come back through sync or an import; Credential Manager entries generally have to be added again. The Windows 11 steps are in how to find stored passwords on Windows 11.
Open the browser you used most, find the one login you came for, and if the PC is about to be retired, export the list and delete the file once it is imported.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.